Starting next month, getting around on foot could get a little easier in some parts of Shasta Lake.

The California Department of Transportation plans to install curbs, gutters and sidewalks along three-tenths of a mile of Shasta Dam Boulevard.

The stretches of concrete will replace gravel and dirt paths that now line the roadway from Locust Avenue to Pancake Hill Drive just beyond the Union Pacific overpass, said Sunil Repaka, Caltrans resident engineer on the project.

Pete Corcoran, who can see the stretch of road when he looks out the front window of his store, welcomed the new sidewalks.

“I think it’s a great idea. I think the state paying for it is great, saves us from having to pay for it,” said Corcoran, who owns Shasta Lake Floors on Shasta Dam Boulevard.

Caltrans is also adding the foundations for light posts along the boulevard, with the city paying the $200,000 to install 17 street lights.

Corcoran said the street lights also will be a welcome addition.

“It’s really dark at this end (of the street) at night,” Corcoran said.

The curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be limited to the north side of the street, Repaka said. Caltrans has no immediate plans to install sidewalks on the south side of the road. Caltrans completed a similar sidewalk project along Shasta Dam Boulevard from near Interstate 5 to Locust Avenue.

Depending on the weather, work is expected to start April 9 and is expected to be complete by mid-July.

The sidewalks should be welcome by the many residents who walk along that section of roadway for their daily exercise, he said.

Shasta Dam Boulevard is also a state route — Highway 151 — which is why the state agency is doing the bulk of the $2 million job.

The work was mainly spurred by a need to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which will include adding 18 wheelchair ramps in the sidewalks, Repaka said.

Motorists can expect delays of about 5 minutes as the roadway will be at times reduced to one-way traffic between Pancake Drive and Ashby Road, Repaka said.

The boulevard’s east and westbound lanes split into a divided road from Ashby Road to Locust Avenue. Repaka said motorists are likely to be detoured in that area.

Caltrans is holding an open house on the project to discuss how traffic will be affected by the work. The open house is from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the John Beaudet Community Center, 1525 Median St. in Shasta Lake. Repaka said

In addition to the sidewalks, Repaka said Caltrans plans to repave the road and restripe it with bicycle lanes.